Nuclear Power Expands to China’s Interior

Nuclear power development in China’s vast inland region is ready for takeoff now after a technology base has been confirmed.

Han Xiaoping, executive vice president of the Web site China5e.com, told Caijing that a major reason for the slow pace of nuclear construction in recent years had been the country’s lack of an official technology standard.

The wait ended in September, when China officially adopted AP1000 nuclear power technology — a standard for plants designed by U.S.-based Westinghouse — as the basis for inland nuclear projects, rejecting a French company’s design. The decision was seen as a key step toward faster development of the nation’s nuclear power industry.